"Just Another Small Town Problem" by TrueOnyx

Title: "Just Another Small Town Problem" (Chapters 1, 2, & 3)
Author: TrueOnyx
Summery: The guys stumble across a young woman being threatened by an extortionist.
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The A-Team is the creation of Stephen J Cannell and Frank Lupo. They belong to Universal and Stephen J Cannell Productions. No copyright infringement intended.
Comments: This is my first story, so like it or hate it, please let me know.

"Just Another Small Town Problem"


by TrueOnyx

Chapter 1

The Blue Lagoon Tavern and Inn wasn't exactly paradise, but it had a quaint charm that agreed with Hannibal.

"It's perfect."

"Hannibal," complained Face, "'quaint' is another word for rundown. Can't we at least stay at the Holiday Inn up the road? I doubt that Decker would think to look for us there."

"Too late Faceman," BA interrupted. "Hannibal's got that look on his face again. We stayin' here tonight."

Grumpily, Face surrendered, "Alright, but at the first sign of insects, I'm leaving."

"Besides Face, Murdock's been asleep for half an hour. He should get into bed." Hannibal turned his chair around and nudged the snoozing pilot, "Murdock, get up. We found a place for the night."

Murdock spoke groggily, "Oh, good. Billy, wake up, we've got a place to sleep tonight."

"You ain't got no dog, so quit talkin' to it, ya crazy foo'!"

"Now BA, you're just sayin' that 'cause Billy hides from you all the time."

"Cool it, guys. We're all tired, so we'll get a couple of rooms and crash for the night."

Chapter 2

In the tavern, a small number of patrons were scattered about the room. The lights were low and soft jazz was playing in the background. A young woman, with red curls and hazel eyes, stood behind the counter. She was staring off into space when the front door opened. She couldn't decide whether to be more surprised by the fact that anyone was coming in at that time of night, or the physical appearance of the four men who entered. The first to enter was an older gentleman, with white hair and clear blue eyes. He was dressed as though he were going on a safari; all that was missing was the pith helmet. The next two to enter were polar opposites of each other; one was dressed impeccably in a well-tailored suit, with perfectly coifed hair and a rakish grin, while the other was a muscular black man with an eccentric haircut, mounds of gold jewelry, and a scowl that would scare the stripes off a zebra. The final man to enter was tall and lean, wearing khaki's, a T-shirt under a flannel shirt, a leather jacket, and a dusty, blue baseball cap. Each man by themselves might not have attracted that much attention, but as a group, they were about as inconspicuous as a herd of elephants in a china shop. The man with the white hair was the first to approach the lady.

"How can I help you boys tonight?"

"We're going to need a couple of rooms for the night."

"No problem. That'll be twenty-five dollars per room, and breakfast will be served down here in the morning, starting at six."

"Speakin' of food Hannibal, I'm kinda hungry," the one in the cap said.

"I think that I have some beef stew left if your interested?"

"That sounds pretty good," Hannibal stated as he turned to look at the rest of his group, who began to look hungry as well. The girl smiled in understanding, "I'll see if I have enough for four. You guys go ahead and find a table, and I'll be right back."

The girl turned and walked through a pair of swinging doors. After a couple of minutes, she returned with a tray of steaming bowls, "Here you go, gentlemen. Turns out there was just enough. By the way, you have rooms two and three, they're both downstairs," she handed Hannibal two sets of keys, "and if you need anything else, just let me know."

"And by what name should we address you by?" the one in the suit asked.

She flashed them a killer smile, "You can call me Sam. Goodnight, gentlemen." She then returned to the kitchen.

"Sam? What an odd name for such a gorgeous woman," Face commented when she was out of earshot. His companions merely rolled their eyes and ate.

Chapter 3

-BANG-

Hannibal jumped straight out of bed. As he grabbed his gun, he noticed that it was eight o'four in the morning. He cursed at himself for waking up so late. Next to him, BA was doing the same. When they left the room, they nearly collided with Face and Murdock. When they reached the location of the blast, they were mildly surprised to see Sam holding a smoking shotgun at two men, who had guns pointed at her in return.

"Get out of here, and tell Corliss that I'm not playing his game anymore!"

"Listen darlin', you don't have a choice," sneered the one standing closest to Sam.

"Oh, I don't know about that." The three turned to look at Hannibal, who was smiling like the Cheshire cat. He had his gun pointed at the thug by Sam, while the others held weapons on the second thug.

"So Samantha, you can't pay Mr. Corliss, but you can hire some cheap muscle."

"Cheap?!" Face exclaimed indignantly.

"Hannibal, let me deal with these two," BA nearly growled.

"But we don't want to kill 'em just yet, BA."

Sam stopped the conversation with a sharp shake of her head, "That won't be necessary because these two were just leaving . . . NOW!" she leveled the shotgun at the one next to her, and the two thugs retreated to their car, "Mr. Corliss isn't going to be happy with you."

Hannibal answered, "I certainly hope not."

As the two men drove off, Sam lowered her shotgun and rubbed tiredly at her eyes, "God, I thought they'd never leave." She looked back at the men who had come to her rescue.

"So, do you mind tellin' us what that was all about?"

"Come on inside and maybe then I can explain."